Ice Pops
by Ayia
Summary: A small flashback from Mariah about a night when Rei came back to the village for a night. Enjoy!


Hope you like, jswut a cute little thing about Mariah and Rei

Enjoy!

Ice Pops

"Good Lord, it's hot out." The girl said as she turned the knob of the door to her house. The statement rang true throughout the thick August air and small beads of sweat on her forehead bore witness to the severe heat. The heat wave of summer still hadn't died, and memories carried themselves on the warm zephyrs that blew through the trees. Ice clinked in tea glasses like wind chimes, melting away with the season. Empty conversations from the neighbor's porch carried themselves to nearby lawns, leaving more than enough room for gossip to echo back. Love bloomed in the heat of night, each star a wish made and each cricket chirp a secret kept.

The cool air coming from the open door was a gleeful relief to her as she stepped inside. The house sat in stillness, the silence disturbed by her tired footsteps. She yanked off the gardening gloves encrusted with potting soil and tossed them on the kitchen table letting the dirt scatter on the hardwood tabletop. Her mother wouldn't be too happy about the mess but at least she got the work done.

She reached behind her head, her dirty fingers tearing the ponytail holder out of her fuschia hair, letting it spill to her waist where it belonged. Next, her sunglasses needed cleaning. The things had almost fallen off three or four times during her chores and they were covered in her fingerprints that rushed them back up the bridge of her nose. She took them off and rubbed them on her shirt, cleaning the specs and holding them up to the light to judge their cleanliness; good enough.

She placed them pack on her nose and headed into the kitchen, heading straight for the freezer. She jerked the door open to meet mounds of ice cubs and tubs of ice cream, but her mind was elsewhere when it came to her choice of frozen treats.

Her hand managed to find the cardboard container resting near the back end of the freezer and began to yank. After a few tugs the box was freed from its frozen prison and she opened it, finding two ice pops in the bottom. She grabbed the vibrant orange one and quickly tore the plastic off it. She held it up to her mouth but stopped. She felt frozen and unable to take a lick. She remembered she had had this ice pop once before, it was really what started it all now that she considered it.

It was mid-June and summer was in full swing then. Her days started at noon and ended well past midnight and were filled with hours upon hours of praciticng at the Beystadium with her team the White tiers and her Bitbeast, Galux, her nose buried in books, and running through the countryside with no destination. That's what she liked best about summer. You really had no place you were getting to so there was no need to hurry. It was almost her senior year, the year of choices, so it felt good to sit back and watch time pass, the only major decision she had to make was what book to pick up next or what gravel road to travel down.

Night had blanketed the sky and the inkwell of darkness poured onto the heavens, sparkling with stars that seemed to stretch on forever. The brilliant moon shone like a beacon in the darkness, casting a light through the window of her room. Among the heaps of books and paper strewn across her bed she sat surrounded by a fort of words. The soft piano music that flowed from her laptop speakers was the only sound in the house. She sprawled herself out on the sheets as she immersed herself in Beauty and the Beast.

The sudden ring of her cell phone startled her as she left the world of literature. She put the book down and followed the noise. Paper fluttered to the floor like autumn leaves shaken from her bed as she searched. She found the phone and opened it, her mind wondering who else might be awake this time of night.

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly.

"Mariah?" A familiar voice replied, "It's Rei."

"Rei?" She started again, saying the word slowly as though she had to taste it first just incase it was spoiled or sour, "What--What're you doing up at 2 a.m.?"

She was shoked that he would've called her, especially at this hour. She suddenly remembered that he was back in the village for a few weeks before he left for a Beyblading Championship with his team, the Bladebreakers. The fact that he had even left the village in the first made her narrow her eyes at times, but now she was too busy fumbling over her words to be angry.

"The same thing you are," he answered simply, "being bored."

"Very true Sir." She said, even though his call kept her from scouring the depths of the Enchanted Forest with Belle.

"Indeed it is, Miss."

A smile crept upon her face, remembering the nicknames they had given to one another.

"So Sir," She continued, "if we're both bored, then why not be bored together?"

She wondered if her invitation was laced with danger for the both of them.

"I've got ice pops." She tagged on.

He gave a light laugh, but then retracted into a nervous silence. She suddenly thought of what she said, and she wanted to take her words back. She knew Rei was on another team with Kai as a team captain. It wasn't that Lee, the captain of The White Tigers, wasn't a bad captain, but trying to compare Lee to Kai was like comparing a Republic to a Dictatorship .

"Well, because you mentioned ice pops," he said with a teasing tone in his voice, "they're asleep, so I'll be right over."

She was stunned by his response.

"Rei," she stammered, "You really don't have to."

"No really, it's fine." He said, "It doesn't matter much anyways. I mean, I'm heading off to competition in two months. What're they going to do?"

"Okay Sir, but only if you're sure," She warned.

"Really, just give me about ten minutes."

"Okay, see you there, Sir."

"See you, Miss."

The phone was clicked shut and she thought about what she had just agreed to. It was a bit odd, now that she considered it. She and Rei had dated when they were younger, but after two years, it had demolished to nothing more than an awkward friendship. She really didn't feel much remorse at first for ending it.

Rei to her was a perfect person and liked being that way. While he carried himself through the hallways with pride and poise, she tripped up stairs. She couldn't help but feel inadequate compared to his perfectionist lifestyle. He was crushed when it was ended. The real question that plagued her mind was whether she had been crushed as well. Both of them hadn't seriously dated anyone since then.

She shrugged. It was nothing to be worried about and it meant that she wouldn't be bored.

A stern knock on the door pulled her to her feet and she went to answer it. She pulled it open to see Lee leaning against the doorframe, his golden eyes gleaming and a wide smile on his face. There was a change in him that she didn't see before. He had grown much taller, towering over her at an even six feet. His black hair had been cut short, as though you could run your fingers through it and say it was combed. A small tuft of stubble was scattered across his chin, chasing away all the boyish features she'd known before.

"Hey." he said.

A sudden burst of heat rushed her face, and her cheeks turned a shade of scarlet.

"H-hey," she said, stumbling backwards into the kitchen.

Her clumsy feet led her to the kitchen while she tried to diagnose herself. What was wrong with her?

As the ability to function came back to her in unorganized chunks, she opened to freezer and reached to the back. At least she had a moment to think.

"You wanted an ice pop?" she asked.

"Well, why else am I here?" he said with a laugh.

"Ha-ha, true," she said as she pulled the full box of ice pops out of the freezer. She pulled a dark red and an orange ice pop off the top and headed back into the other room. The red one found its place in Rei's hand.

"Thanks, Miss," he said with a wink. The crinkle of his eye flushed her face even more, making the last few minutes of calming down an absolute waste, "you want to go outside?"

"Yes." she answered quickly, embarrassed. At least the dark night would hide her red face.

They stepped outside and Mariah shut the door behind her. A sudden lurching feeling of worry came over her, but she repressed it as Rei found the small wooden rocking chair next to her house.

He took a seat and she sat beside him. Wanting a distraction, she shed the plastic layer from the ice pop and licked the desert, tangerine flavor bursting inside her mouth.

An awkward silence settled over the two for several minutes, and she was found speechless. She wished she could say something but conversations didn't always go like the ones in books.

She looked up and suddenly all nervousness left her.

The heavens were sprawled out above them. Billions of stars sprinkled across the night sky and interlaced between time and space. The Milky Way flooded out across the universe and looked as though a colossal glass of milk had been tipped, but this was too beautiful to be cried over. She felt so light it seemed as thought she would float away into space.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, bringing her back into Earth's gravitational pull.

"Yea," she said thoughtfully.

Conversation had begun and neither of them looked back then. Kit was astonished. Words seemed to come from nowhere as if everything that had happened to her since they had last spoken was stored in a box. His words were the key to its lock and the lid had been ripped from its hinges. She found it strange. It was as though they never had stopped talking and she began to wonder why they ever did.

They talked through the night, silence and wind the only witnesses to their conversation. She felt certain lightness about her like she could float away. It had been a long time since her feelings had taken this turn. Suddenly, Rei's hand rested on hers.

"Do you mind?" he asked tensely.

Mariah considered but, the fact that his hand on hers had dappled her hairline red, she couldn't say no.

"Of course not," she said, watching his eyes light up in the dead of night.

She leaned back and found her head resting against his, and amidst all the anxiety and protesting thoughts in her mind, she didn't mind. You couldn't make sense of these times. You couldn't explain these times away with words. Their attention turned back towards the sky.

"You know, Miss," he said, "I've never seen a shooting star."

Her eyes widened, "What?" she asked in astonishment, "you must, Sir!"

"I know, Miss," he chuckled, "I know."

"You know," he started up again, "there's something about you I've remembered until his very day. I remember it was back when we were in school, while we were dating of course."

She felt a small shiver race up her spine.

"It was a nice spring day," he went on, "and we were sitting on a bench next to the school. Everyone had left for the day, but you were getting a ride home and I wanted to wait with you to make sure the older kids wouldn't bully you. You grabbed my hand and told me something I'll never forget."

She gulped, a lump stuck in her throat. Where was he going with this?

He leaned in and hoarsely whispered the words that brought her back to that day.

"You complete me."

She could almost feel the wind in her hair and the sunshine on her face from that day. She felt his hand on hers and smelt the grass of spring.

"Miss, look up!"

The words snapped her out of the memory and her eyes met the sky. Fate and destiny met within the heavens and a shooting star tore through the night sky. Hues of green, blue and white lit up the sky like a burst of wayward passion. It faded, leaving them both awestruck.

"That was amazing," he said.

"Y-yea," she stuttered.

Maybe conversations could be like ones in books.

The black night began to subside to a deep purple. It seemed like a layer of velvet had blanketed the cool sky. The beauty suddenly made her remember that the rest of the human race operated on a twenty-four hour day schedule.

"What time is it?" she asked frantically.

"….4:30," he answered with slight hesitation. The remorse in his voice made it seem as though he believed time could stand still, "it seems like we just got out here."

"Yea," she said.

"You need to get some sleep, Miss," he said with a warm smile.

"But," she protested, "I don't want to."

"I don't want to either, trust me," he said, his voice tinting with sadness. His fingers ran through her hair, racking her body in a sudden shiver.

"Are you cold?" He asked confused.

"Uh, no, I'm fine." She said with a smile.

"You really should get inside," he said as we helped her off the bench.

"Ok," she said as Rei's sadness began tinting her voice as well.

They headed for the door. Mariah leaned against the frame and twisted the brass knob slowly, trying to drag out the moment as much as she could. She pushed against the door only to have it stay in place. She tried again, with more force, but to no avail. She reached for her pocket but to her horror found it empty. Her mind flashed to the shiny silver keys sitting safely inside on the kitchen table, adorning a thick blue ribbon she had tied there herself to help her not forget them. Her eyes widened as the distressing truth dawned upon her.

"I'm locked out!" she said, trying again.

"What?" he asked in bewilderment.

She sighed as she leaned against the side of her house, sliding down onto the concrete below.

"What am I going to do?" she asked desperately.

"Hey now, we'll figure out something," he said. "You have your phone with you? Maybe you could call your mom to let you in."

"Nope," she said, turning her pockets inside out to reveal a useless collection of lint from the dryer.

"Well, let me call her," he said, reaching into his pocket.

"What?" She asked, "Rei, do realize the dire consequences that are at stake here?"

The city didn't need to see a terror of that magnitude this early in the morning.

"Yup," he said winking as he dialed my mother's number.

I could hear it ring and then an exasperated, angry, "Hello?" on the other end of the phone line.

Batten down the hatches.

"Hello?" he said, "This is Rei Kon, and I just wanted to tell you that uh--Mariah's locked out."

A tirade of obscenities surrounding a "What?" resounded through the line.

"Uh--she'll explain everything when you let her in."

Her eyes widened at his last comment as she hopped to her feet. He hung up the phone and smiled.

"What was that for?!" she yelled, "Do you not realize what you've done? She'll kill me! What am I going to--"

He leaned in and cut her off with a small kiss on her cheek. He looked at her with a devilish smile and ran off to his car.

She stood still in stupor as he slammed his car door shut.

"Later, Miss!" he shouted from the window as he sped away.

She sighed, remembering how quickly she scrambled for an excuse. She had never thought of one as quickly as she had that night.

The memory faded from her mind as she put the ice pop in her mouth, tasting the flavor of that night once again. She looked out the open window as the curtains billowed in the afternoon breeze and wondered what her Sir was doing now. It wasn't surprising to her that a week after that night they had started dating. He had left for the Beyblading Championship with his team a week or two ago and she couldn't help but miss him. She reminded herself that he would be back for Christmas so she could look forward to his arms around her again. They still kept in contact though, through letters and such--

She jumped up in surprise, remembering it was her turn to send a letter.

She ran to the hardwood desk in the corner of the living room, sitting down and finding a piece of paper and pen. The tip of the pen met the page and she began to write. The message was brief, but he'd understand.

"Dear Sir,

You complete me.

With all my heart,

-Miss"


End file.
